Cap device

ABSTRACT

A tether mechanism includes a rotatable ring rotatably mounted to a ring mounting element, a linking member and a rotatable connector. The linking member has a long linking member main body, a first support end that is formed at one end of the linking member main body and is connected to the rotatable ring and a second support end connected to the fuel supply lid. The rotatable connector has a U-shaped connector, and the linking member main body can rotate relative to the rotatable ring around the longitudinal axis thereof.

This application claims the benefit of and priority from Japanese Application No. 2005-249099 filed Aug. 30, 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cap device in which one end of a long linking member is connected to a cap.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the prior art, in an automobile fuel tank, in order to prevent the fuel cap from becoming lost during refueling, the fuel cap is connected to the member around the fueling port of the fuel tank via a long linking member such as a tether. As a fuel cap with the tether is disclosed in JP-A- 2005-47293. In other words, a tether and integrated rotatable ring are rotatably mounted in a mounting groove formed in the outer circumference of the fuel cap cover, and the tether is movably mounted to a mounting member that protrudes from the rotatable ring.

However, in the prior art, when the resistance encountered by the rotatable ring against the mounting groove becomes large due to errors in the dimensions of the fuel cap or deformation of the fuel cap over time, when the fuel cap is rotated, the rotatable ring no longer rotates smoothly around the mounting groove. As a result, the tether rotates together with the fuel cap, becoming wound around the outer circumference thereof or twisted. In order to eliminate such twisting of the tether, the fuel cap or the tether formed separately from the fuel cap must be unwound in an inconvenient operation.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspect of the invention is provided with a fuel cap having a tether that does not become twisted and enjoys superior rotatability.

The present invention is a fuel cap device that includes a tether mechanism that connects a cap that opens and closes a tank opening to a member formed around the periphery of this tank opening. The tether mechanism includes a ring mounting element formed along the outer circumference of the cap, a rotatable ring that is rotatably mounted to the ring mounting element, a linking member having an elastic long linking member main body, a first support end that is formed at one end of the linking member main body and is connected to the rotatable ring and a second support end that is formed at the other end of the linking member main body and connected to a peripheral member, and a rotatable connector that is mounted such that the rotatable ring can rotate relative to the peripheral member around the longitudinal axis of the linking member main body.

In the cap device according to the present invention, when the cap is removed from the tank opening, the cap is supported on a car-side member around the tank opening via the linking member. As a result, the cap can be prevented from being lost or left behind without closing the tank opening. The tether mechanism includes a rotatable connector. Because the rotatable connector is mounted such that the rotatable ring can rotate relative to the peripheral member around the longitudinal axis of the linking member main body, even if the linking member main body becomes twisted, it rotates by itself in a direction that will eliminate the twisting. Therefore the operation to rotate the cap is not hindered.

So long as the rotatable connector is disposed at a location at which twisting in the linking member can be eliminated, there is no particular limitation on its location, and it may be disposed on the first support end or second support end or in the middle of the linking member main body. In this case, if the rotatable connector is disposed on the first support end, which is close to the location at which the cap rotation operation is performed, twisting of the linking member main body can be quickly eliminated.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a construction may be adopted in which the rotatable connector includes a connector main body that is formed in a curved configuration and can extend along the longitudinal axis of the linking member, and at least the first support end or the second support end is rotatably connected to this connector main body. With such a construction, because the curved connector main body extends or contracts even where force is applied to stretch the linking member along its longitudinal direction, the linking member main body does not receive excessive force and does not easily break. Here, in a preferred embodiment of the connector main body, a U-shape, S-shape, W-shape or other configuration may be used.

These and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the rear end of an automobile with a cap device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which the fuel supply lid is open;.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the fuel cap mounted to a filler pipe;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the fuel cap;

FIG. 5 is a decomposed perspective view showing a tether mechanism;

FIG. 6 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a fuel cap according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 8 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a fourth embodiment; and

FIG. 9 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 11 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a seventh embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a eighth embodiment.

FIG. 13 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a ninth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A. First Embodiment

(1) Summary Construction of Cap Device

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the rear end of an automobile with a cap device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which a fuel supply lid is open. A recession 11 used to supply fuel is formed in the rear portion of the body panel 10 shown in FIG. 1, and the opening of the recession 11 is covered by a fuel supply lid 12. The fuel supply lid 12 is mounted such that it can be opened and closed via a hinge 13. A fuel supply opening 16 a of a filler pipe 16 connected to the fuel tank (not shown) is disposed in a bottom wall 11 a of the recession 11. The fuel supply opening 16 a is opened and closed with a tight seal by the fuel cap 20. The fuel cap 20 is connected to the fuel supply lid 12 by a tether mechanism 30, and loss of the fuel cap 20 is prevented by hanging of the fuel cap 20 during fueling.

(2) Construction of Fuel Cap 20

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the fuel cap 20 mounted to the filler pipe 16. The fuel cap 20 includes a casing 21 mounted inside the filler pipe 16, a cover 22 mounted to a flange 21 b disposed above the casing 21, and a gasket GS mounted to the top part of the casing 21. An engaging protrusion 21 a is formed on the outer circumference of the casing 21. The engaging protrusion 21 a engages with an engaging protrusion 16 b formed on the filler pipe 16. Therefore, placing the fuel cap 20 in the fuel supply opening 16 a and rotating it two or three times causes the casing 21 to press the gasket GS against the inner wall of the filler pipe 16, thereby forming a seal between this inner wall and the fuel cap 20. The cover 22 is formed in a cup shape by an upper wall 23 having an handle 23 a that is gripped by the fingers to rotate the fuel cap 20, and a side wall 24 that is formed in a cylindrical shape extending from outer circumference of the upper wall 23.

(3) Construction of Tether Mechanism 30

The tether mechanism 30 is mounted to the cover 22. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the fuel cap 20, while FIG. 5 is a decomposed perspective view showing the tether mechanism 30. The tether mechanism 30 includes a ring mounting element 25 (see FIG. 3) comprising a groove that runs along the outer circumference of the cover 22, a rotatable ring 32 that is rotatably mounted to the ring mounting element 25, and a linking member 36 that is mounted to the rotatable ring 32.

The rotatable ring 32 includes an annular ring main body 32 a and a mounting part 33 that protrudes from the outer circumference of the ring main body 32 a, and these two components are integrally formed from a soft material such as polyurethane (PUR) or thermoplastic elastomer (TPEE). The ring main body 32 a has a slightly larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the ring mounting element 25, and is mounted to the ring mounting element 25 by being stretched via elastic deformation. The mounting part 33 is a part used to mount the linking member 36, and includes a projected section 33 a and an engaging protrusion 33 b that protrudes from the projected section 33 a and has a larger head.

The linking member 36 includes a string-like linking member main body 36 a and a first and second support ends 37, 38 (see FIG. 2) formed at either end of the linking member main body 36 a. A rotatable connector 39 including the mounting part 33 is formed to connect the linking member 36 to the rotatable ring 32 is disposed at the first support end 37. The rotatable connector 39 includes a U-shaped (curved) connector main body 39 a, a mounting hole 39 b is integrally formed at an end of the connector main body 39 a, and the linking member main body 36 a is integrally formed at the other end of the connector main body 39 a. In order to mount the first support end 37 to the rotatable ring 32, the engaging protrusion 33 b is pressed into the mounting hole 39 b of the connector main body 39 a. By virtue of this construction, the rotatable connector 39 mounts the linking member 36 to the rotatable ring 32 such that the linking member 36 can rotate around the longitudinal axis AX of the linking member main body 36 a.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second support end 38 formed at the other end of the linking member 36 is a member having a disk shape that includes a support ring 38 a. The support ring 38 a is rotatably supported on a securing member 12 a formed on the back side of the fuel supply lid 12 by being pressed into the securing member 12 a. Therefore, the fuel cap 20 shown in FIG. 1 hangs down via the linking member 36 secured to the securing member 12 a when the fuel supply lid 12 is opened and the fuel cap 20 is separated from the filler pipe 16.

(4) Opening and Closing of Fuel Cap 20

The opening and closing of the fuel cap 20 will now be described. From the state shown in FIG. 1 in which the fuel cap 20 is detached, the fuel cap 20 is inserted in the fuel supply opening 16 a of the filler pipe 16 and rotated two or three times to close the filler pipe 16. When this is done, because the rotatable ring 32 shown in FIG. 3 is rotatable relative to the cover 22 and the linking member 36 does not receive a large amount of force from the fuel supply lid 12 or the fuel cap 20, is formed from a soft resin material and is flexible, there is no obstacle to the opening and closing of the fuel cap 20. Here, the linking member 36 is bent and housed within the recession 11.

The operation to remove the fuel cap 20 will now be explained. When the fuel supply lid 12 is opened and the operation to open the fuel cap 20 is performed, the fuel cap 20 separates from the fuel supply opening 16 a of the filler pipe 16. When the fuel cap 20 is then released from the hand, the fuel cap 20 hangs down at a position away from the body panel 10 with the cover 22 thereof facing the body, thereby permitting the vehicle to be refueled. In other words, because the fuel cap 20 can be positioned during refueling at a position away from the body panel 10, it does not obstruct the fueling nozzle, and the fuel adhering to the casing 21 does not contaminate the body panel 10.

(5) Operation and Effect of the Embodiment

The above embodiment has the operation and effect described below.

(5)-1 Because the rotatable connector 39 mounts the linking member 36 to the rotatable ring 32 such that the linking member 36 can rotate around the longitudinal axis AX of the linking member main body 36 a, even if the linking member main body 36 a becomes twisted, this twisting is eliminated by the linking member 36 rotating in the unwinding direction. Therefore, there is no obstacle to the rotation of the fuel cap 20.

(5)-2 Because the rotatable connector 39 is disposed at the first support end 37 near the location where the fuel cap 20 is rotated, twisting of the linking member main body 36 a can be quickly eliminated.

(5)-3 Because the rotatable connector 39 includes a U-shaped connector main body 39 a and one end of the connector main body 39 a is rotatably supported on the linking member main body 36 a, even if extension or contraction force is exerted on the linking member main body 36 a, the extension or contraction of the U-shaped connector main body 39 a ensures that excessive force is not received by the linking member main body 36 a, and the linking member main body 36 a is not damaged.

(5)-4 The linking member 36 can be mounted simply by inserting the engaging protrusion 33 b of the mounting part 33 of the rotatable ring 32 in the mounting hole 39 b, making the mounting operation simple.

(5)-5 Because the rotatable ring 32 and the linking member main body 36 a are separate but connected via the rotatable connector 39, twisting of the linking member main body 36 a does not hinder the rotation of the rotatable ring 32, such that the rotatable ring 32 can smoothly rotate relative to the fuel cap 20, and consequently there is no obstacle to the opening and closing of the fuel cap 20.

B. Second Embodiment

FIG. 6 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a second embodiment. The tether mechanism 30B of the embodiment has a construction in which one element of a rotatable connector 39B is disposed at the second support end 38B of the linking member 36B. The other element of the rotatable connector 39B is disposed at a mounting part 12Ba disposed on the fuel supply lid 12B. An engaging protrusion 12Bb is formed on the mounting part 12Ba. The rotatable connector 39B includes a connector main body 39Ba, and inserting the engaging protrusion 12Bb in an engaging hole 38Ba of the connector main body 39Ba causes the linking member 36B to rotate such that twisting of the linking member 36B is eliminated.

According to the second embodiment, since the rotatable connector 39B is mounted directly to the mounting part 12Ba of the fuel supply lid 12B, and the rotatable ring and first support end are integrally formed as a single unit, the operation to mount the rotatable ring of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the rotatable connector on the side of the first support end can be eliminated, thereby improving the ease of the mounting operation. The rotatable connectors may be disposed on the rotatable ring and on the fuel supply lid respectively.

C. Third Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the fuel cap according to a third embodiment. The rotatable connector 39C according to the embodiment has a construction in which the axis AX, around which the linking member 36C of the tether mechanism 30C rotates, is parallel to the rotational axis of the fuel cap 20. The tether mechanism 30C includes a mounting part 33C that protrudes outward from part of the rotatable ring 32C, and comprises an engaging protrusion 37Cc disposed at a first support end 37C of the linking member main body 36c inserted in an engaging hole 33Cc of the mounting part 33C. With this construction as well, even where the linking member main body 36Ca becomes twisted, this twisting can be eliminated by the linking member main body 36Ca rotating via the rotatable connector 39C.

D. Other Embodiments

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be implemented in any of various forms within the essential scope of the invention.

(1) In the first and second embodiments, a construction was described in which a long linking member main body and a U-shaped connector main body are formed integrally as a single unit and the connector main body engages with an engaging protrusion formed on a rotatable ring or the fuel supply lid, but the present invention is not limited to this construction, and the constructions of the fourth or fifth embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively, may be used.

As shown in FIG. 8, a rotatable connector 39D comprises a connector main body 39Da that is integrally formed with a rotatable ring 32D, an engaging protrusion 36Db is formed at an end of a linking member main body 36Da, and the linking member main body 36Da is made rotatable by virtue of the connection of the engaging protrusion 36Db with the connector main body 39Da. As shown in FIG. 9, an engaging protrusions 33Eb, 33Eb are formed on a rotatable ring 32E and a linking member main body 36Ea and the linking member main body 36Ea is made rotatable by virtue of the connection of the engaging protrusions and mounting hole 39Eb to a U-shaped connector main body 39Ea.

As shown in FIG. 10 of a sixth embodiment, a connector main body 39Fa of a rotatable connector 39F may be formed in a S-shaped configuration, which is connected with two U-shaped bodies. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 of a seventh and eighth embodiments, connector main bodies 39Ga and 39Ha of rotatable connectors 39G and 39H may be formed in a rectangular configuration or a O-shaped configuration. The connector main body 39Ga is integrally formed with a linking member 36G of a first support end 37G, and the connector main body 39Ha of a rotatable connector 39H is integrally formed with a rotatable ring 32H in the O-shaped configuration.

FIG. 13 shows the main components of a tether mechanism according to a ninth embodiment. A first support end 37J comprises an engaging protrusion 36Jb that engages rotatably with a connector main body 39Ja of a rotatable connector 39J, and a deformable element 36Jc that is formed between the engaging protrusion 36Jb and the linking member main body 36Ja.

(2) In the above embodiments, the second support end of the linking member is mounted to the fuel supply lid 12, but the present invention is not limited to this construction. The prevent invention may be applied to a vehicle-side member (mounting member) on the periphery of the fuel supply opening 16, such as the bottom wall 11 a of the recession 11, or any other member that does not hinder the opening or closing of the fuel cap 20.

(3) While the above embodiments pertained to a fuel cap, the present invention is not limited to a fuel cap, and may be applied to any type of cap, such as an automobile radiator cap.

The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been provided for the purpose of explaining the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The foregoing detailed description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. Modifications and equivalents will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art and are encompassed within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

1. A cap device that includes a cap that opens and closes a tank opening, and a tether mechanism that connects the cap to a peripheral member on a periphery of the tank opening, wherein the tether mechanism comprises: a ring mounting element formed along an outer circumference of the cap; a rotatable ring that is rotatably mounted to the ring mounting element; a linking member that has (i) an elastic long linking member main body, (ii) a first support end that is formed at one end of the linking member main body and is connected to the rotatable ring and (iii) a second support end that is formed at the other end of the linking member main body and is connected to the peripheral member; and a rotatable connector that is mounted such that the rotatable ring is supported rotatably relative to the peripheral member around a longitudinal axis of the linking member main body.
 2. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector is disposed on the first support end and the rotatable ring.
 3. The cap device according to claim 2, wherein the rotatable connector includes a connector main body that is formed in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and the first support end is rotatably connected to the connector main body.
 4. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the connector main body is formed in a U-shaped configuration.
 5. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the connector main body is formed in a S-shaped configuration.
 6. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the connector main body is formed in a O-shaped configuration.
 7. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the connector main body is formed in a rectangular configuration.
 8. The cap device according to claim 3, wherein the first support end comprises an engaging protrusion that engages rotatably with the connector main body, and a deformable element that is formed between the engaging protrusion and the linking member main body.
 9. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector is disposed on the second support end and the peripheral member.
 10. The cap device according to claim 9, wherein the rotatable connector includes a connector main body that is formed in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and the second support end is rotatably connected to the connector main body.
 11. The cap device according to claim 10, wherein the connector main body is formed in a U-shaped configuration.
 12. The cap device according to claim 10, wherein the connector main body is formed in a S-shaped configuration.
 13. The cap device according to claim 10, wherein the connector main body is formed in a rectangular configuration.
 14. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the rotatable ring, a connector main body that is integrally formed with the first support end in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a mounting hole that is formed in the connector main body and engages rotatably with the engaging protrusion.
 15. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the peripheral member, a connector main body that is integrally formed with the second support end in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a mounting hole that is formed in the connector main body and engages rotatably with the engaging protrusion.
 16. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises an engaging protrusion that is formed at the first support end, a mounting part that protrudes from the rotatable ring, and a mounting hole engaging hole that is formed in the mounting part and engages rotatably with the engaging protrusion.
 17. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the first support end, a connector main body that is integrally formed with the rotatable ring in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a mounting hole that is formed in connector main body and engages rotatably with the engaging protrusion.
 18. The cap device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable connector comprises engaging protrusions that protrudes from the rotatable ring and the first support end respectively, a connector main body that is formed in a curved configuration and extends in the longitudinal direction, and mounting holes that is formed in connector main bodies and engage rotatably with the engaging protrusion respectively. 